1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an AC-DC chopper converter type of supply, i.e. a supply that converts a voltage delivered by an AC mains network into an output DC supply in using, for this purpose, an input rectifier circuit and, between this circuit and its output, switching means that are controlled as a function of the output voltage of the supply to regulate this output voltage. Furthermore, this supply must consume a sinusoidal current, at the mains network, that is in phase with the voltage in order to optimize the power factor of the supply, i.e. so that the ratio of the necessary active power to the apparent power consumed at the mains network is substantially equal to 1.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Supplies such as this exist and shall be described with reference to FIG. 1 appended hereto. In these known supplies, which are called forced commutation anharmonic chopping supplies, the switch-over is made to take place when currents are flowing in the switching means. The result thereof is losses through switching over, disturbances in the form of current peaks detrimental to the efficient working condition of the components of the supply and disturbances by radiation. Furthermore, these supplies which work at maximum switching-over frequencies of the order of 200 kHz, are relatively bulky.